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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. clip — a video
  3. suit — in cards
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. suit — clothes
  7. clip — for paper
  8. tube — the underground
  9. suit — to fit
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — to wash
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com